The Spec website is now updated with the new diverge. The standover heights for the carbon frame appear to be more reasonable on the spec website. Seems to be a big gap btw the $3k clunky 105 shifters model and the $4k sram force1 model, no?

Does she actually need a women's specific bike? It sounds like the frames are the same through the range of sizes so unless she is very short and needs a frame size that is smaller than what they offer in the men's version they should be comparable minus the saddle and crank length. The bars may be narrower and the stem shorter as well but that may not be better than what comes stock on the men's build. My wife is 5'5" and she has actually fit better on the men's bikes than the women's specific bikes in the past. I would say test ride both and see if she can tell any difference it may just end up being a warm and fuzzy marketing thing rather than a necessity to be on a women's specific bike.

I like the new Diverge. I will likely test ride one in the next few weeks. I've been fairly happy with my Ridley X-Trail. But, it lack in max tire size. I'm interested in seeing how the Future Shock works. Some of the reviews are saying it has some promise. Not a huge fan of the look of the stem, but can get over it for the functionality, if it works. For me the dropper post might be overkill. Only a handful of the places I currently ride would benefit. But, maybe that is just me.

Not a huge fan of the colors on the S-Works model, but that is the one I'm eying. I really like the 1x with the XTR Di2 shifting rear. Maybe we'll see.

I hadn't given the Diverge much consideration since I wasn't that impressed with the previous version. But it is looking much better these days. Clearance for 42mm tires (47mm with 650B wheels) is very nice! But it's a bit chubby at 20.2 lbs for a 54cm. I'd expect a pound or two less for a $3-4k bike.

Originally Posted by Animal494The Spec website is now updated with the new diverge. The standover heights for the carbon frame appear to be more reasonable on the spec website. Seems to be a big gap btw the $3k clunky 105 shifters model and the $4k sram force1 model, no?

It is a big jump. Wish there was a Force 22 or Ultegra option. Along with the higher level components (including a carbon crank), the Expert comes with a $750 Roval SLX 24 wheelset and the SWAT box for the $1K price jump over the Comp model.

I had the chance to ride a 2018 Diverge Comp and I gotta say I'm quite impressed with the Futureshok, surprisingly so.

I'm a clyde, ~250#/115kg, and the future shock ahd me worried because I figured if I stood up off the saddle and hammered that I would feel bobbing and bouncing, and I can honestly say, there was none of that. Yet when I went downhill on a full cobblestone old road, it took the buzz off almost completely. The 56cm Comp was 19.6 lbs without pedals or bottle cages in my LBS but it felt lighter than that on the cobblestone climb I did.

It can fit the 38c Trigger Pro with room for fenders.

It has a comfortably relaxed endurance geometry that is ideal for a guy like me with stubby arms and fake cervical vertebrae, so if you want your stem slammed so you can be fully aero then perhaps this isn't what you're looking for.

Oh, and the standover heights on the website are/were all jacked up. Subtract 100cm for the ones that are way out of whack. There's more standover clearance for me on the new 56cm Diverge than on my 2015 Roubaix Comp. I confirmed that first thing.

I gotta say, the 48/32 Praxis with the 105 shifted surprisingly well. I'm more a fan of SRAM road shifters, but I wasn't at all agitated with the 105s. They fit pretty well on the Hover bars so that shifting and breaking in the drops is perfectly fine.

The $3k for a 105 was a bit steep, I agree, but I was pretty impressed with the 105, surprisingly so. At least, the 48/32 Praxis was on point, and I had no issues with the 105 at all, but I didn't get a chance to take it off-road so that's a more true test of shifting for my riding style (and why I love SRAM). Besides, $2800 was last year's Diverge w/105

The 2 best deals on the new Diverge list are, in my opinion, the Expert for $4k with the super light SLX24 wheels and Force1 groupset, and the $2100 carbon Sport. Yeah it comes with Tiagra, but that's easily upgradeable for cheap and the Tektro Spyres are top-notch mechanical brakes.

As the owner of a Specialized Epic with a proprietary rear shock that has been discontinued (read: no replacement parts, no service, no replacement units), I'm just a bit hesitant at buying new technology which is proprietary. Sure, the new technology might be awesome but if it isn't allowed to become an industry standard then it too will become obsolete with no replacement parts.

One of the greatest advantages Campy had over Shimano was the fact that one could get replacement parts to rebuild just about anything Campy sold. Even today, 8 and 9 speed Ergo shifters - both are much older than my obsolete shock.

That said my garage has several Specialized bikes including a Tarmac which continues to be the best riding race bike I've ever had. So no I'm not trying to bash Specialized, I'm just sharing a concern of being stuck with a broken bike and no replacement parts. I've seen the same with Trek and Cannondale proprietary parts.

I'm pretty easy on my gear, including my mountain bikes. Hell, I recently sold a 20 year old Breezer with all original XT components that were still working perfectly. So I never worry about something becoming obsolete. But you do make a good argument, NoCoGreg.

Nonetheless, i'm eager to check out the new Diverge. Maybe I'll hunt one down this weekend. Sounds like most LBS's have them already.

Originally Posted by sgtrobothe hover bars were not flared on the Diverge I rode.

The $3k for a 105 was a bit steep, I agree, but I was pretty impressed with the 105, surprisingly so. At least, the 48/32 Praxis was on point, and I had no issues with the 105 at all, but I didn't get a chance to take it off-road so that's a more true test of shifting for my riding style (and why I love SRAM). Besides, $2800 was last year's Diverge w/105

The 2 best deals on the new Diverge list are, in my opinion, the Expert for $4k with the super light SLX24 wheels and Force1 groupset, and the $2100 carbon Sport. Yeah it comes with Tiagra, but that's easily upgradeable for cheap and the Tektro Spyres are top-notch mechanical brakes.

Me? I'm going for the Expert all the way.

I'm leaning toward the carbon Sport myself. Influencing that decision is that I already have carbon wheels to swap out for the stock wheels and a Syntace HiFlex seatpost to replace the stock aluminum post.

I see no reason to upgrade the Tiagra immediately. In fact, I come up with a better gear range for me with 10 speed 12-36 cassette (not stock) in combination with the 32/48 crank than with an 11 speed 11-36. A 122 gear-inch gear is wasted on me. From my experience test riding many bikes with Tiagra 4700, 105 5800 and Ultegra 6800, I don't think you could tell them apart in a blind test.

After a year or so, if I choose to keep the bike, I'd consider converting to either a SRAM or Campagnolo 11 speed hydro group with a real subcompact crank like a 30/46 or 28/44.

I think that the best value is the $1800 Diverge Comp E5. It has the same carbon fork, future shock, Axis wheelset and 105 components as the $3000 Diverge Comp with the carbon frame.

A $1200 premium is a big bump just to get a carbon frame. Specialized is pretty adept at building great aluminum frames. The carbon frame, can't be that special; but it is a bit larger than the E5 aluminum version, since the geometries are not identical

Attached is the diagram of the largest 64cm frame sizes from http://www.bikegeo.net/ (with the Sequoia as a comparison).

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